Wall construction particularly for playing courts



R. E. OMHOLT Oct. 15, 1968 WALL CONSTRUCTION PARTICULARLY FOR PLAYING COURTS Filed March 22, 1966 l/VVEA/TOR.

RA) 6'. OMHOLT IMJ ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,405,493 WALL CONSTRUCTION PARTICULARLY FOR PLAYING COURTS Ray E. Omholt, Berwyu, Pa. Power-lock Floors, Inc., 2028 Chancellor St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19103) Filed Mar. 22, 1966, Ser. No. 536,321 8 Claims. (Cl. 52-480) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A wall construction for playing courts which comprises, attached to a supporting wall, a plurality of parallel supporting elements for a wooden lining in non-yielding engagement therewith and the spaces between the wooden lining and the supporting wall having a moisture resisting cohesive compression resisting material therein in adherent engagement with the supporting wall and in adherent and supporting engagement with the wooden lining between the supporting elements, the wooden lining preferably being parallel wooden boards, the wooden lining providing an impact receiving playing surface.

This invention relates to a Wall construction which is particularly suited for playing courts and more especially for courts in which the wall itself provides a playing surface.

The game of squash, when properly played, and at tournament level requires a vertical wall with totally uniform bounce, which is flat and distortion free, which is immune to the effects of moisture both in front and behind, which is capable of reduction to the temperature at which squash tournaments are played, and which is stable at other normal temperatures and when not at the temperature for tournament play.

No wholly satisfactory wall for this purpose has heretofore been available.

Walls for other types of use have similar requirements of stability and freedom from transmitted-or transferred vibrations with a wood lined wall.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide an improved Wall construction which is particularly suited for the vertical walls of squash courts but is not limited to such use, and in which the wall boards with their exposed playing surfaces are supported and held in a simple but effective manner.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a wall construction in which the exposed face of the wall provides a totally uniform bounce to a ball, such as a squash ball, which provides a vibrationless quiet bounce of such a ball, which has waterproof characteristics so as to avoid deformation of the wood, and which has thermal insulating characteristics so as to reduce condensation when the enclosed space is at or brought to a reduced temperature for use, and in which the components are stabilized in a simple but effective manner.

It is a further object of the preset invention to provide a wall construction of the character aforesaid in which a vertical wood surface is utilized and is'held from the rear by a stable and continuously adherent filling material.

Other objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the description and claims.

The nature and characteristic features of the invention will be more readily understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part thereof, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a wall construction in accordance with the invention, parts being broken away to show the details of construction;

FIG. 2 is a view in perspective of a clip which can advantageously be employed;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view, enlarged, taken approximately on the line 33 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken approximately on the line 4--4 of FIG. 3.

It should, of course, be understood that the description and drawings herein are illustrative merely, and that various modifications and changes can be made in the structure disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown, a conventional wall 10, of masonry such as stone, brick, block or tile or of wood or metal, is utilized. The wall 10 may be an exterior wall, or an interior partition wall, or other vertical support but must have adequate strength and rigidity and capability of attachment of other components, as hereinafter explained.

The vertical support 10, at spaced locations, has metal channels 11 secured thereto to serve as supporting members which for a specific construction can be on eight inch centers. While any desired orientation of the channels 11 can be employed to suit the particular installation it is preferred that the channels 11 have their longitudinal axes vertical. The channels 11 are preferably secured in place by any desired type of fasteners 12 which extend through the webs 13 of the channels 11 and into firm engagement in the wall 10.

It is preferred that shims 14 be interposed between the webs 13 and the wall 10, at the locations of the fasteners 12. The shims 14 are of relatively inert material such as metal, synthetic plastic or wood, and for a particular installation can have a thickness of the order of one quarter inch to space the channels 11 from the wall 10, and permit access to the portions of the channel 11 contiguous to the wall 10 for purposes of filling as hereinafter pointed out.

The channels 11 are preferably of metal with parallel side margins 16 extending from the web 13 and with spaced inwardly facing rims 17 parallel to the web 13. The rims 17 have outer faces 18.

Any suitable clamping devices can be employed with the channels 11 but metal clips 20 as shown in detail in FIG. 2 are suitable. The clips 20 have central vertical plate portions 21 and oppositely extending feet 22 with beveled corners 23. The plate portions 21 have opposite side edge notches 24 to engage the plate portions 21 with the rims 17 of the channels. The clips 20 have oppositely disposed fingers 26 extending from the plate portions 21 with beveled corners 27 to facilitate their insertion.

The exterior wall surface of the wall construction preferably comprises elongated hard wood boards 30, preferably of maple or other suitable hard wood. The boards 30 have outer or exposed faces 31, inner or concealed faces 32 to engage the outer faces 18 of the rims 17, and edge face portions 33 and 34 with longitudinal slots or grooves 35 therebetween.

The edge face portions 33 of adjoining boards 30 are adapted for engagement while the edge face portions 34 of these same boards 30 are spaced apart a sufficient distanceto accommodate the plate portion 21 of the clips 20.

The grooves 35 and the fingers 26 are shaped and di mensioned so that the fingers 26 upon engagement in the grooves 35 draw the boards 30 so that their inner faces 32 firmly engage the rim faces 18 and remain in such engagement.

The faces 32 are preferably provided with relief grooves 36 therealong to reduce the tendency of the boards 30 to warp.

The space 37 between the wall and the inner faces 32, outside of the channels 11, and around the shims 14 is filled with a suitable plastic material 38 which, when in place, will be in adherent engagement with the surfaces exposed within the space 37, and accordingly also with the inner faces 32 of the boards 30. The plastic material will also enter between the faces 34 and engage therewith and will also enter the grooves 35 and lock therein so as to also provide sheer restraint as well as adherent engagement to restrict unwanted movement of the boards 30.

The filling material 38 is preferably waterproof, relatively inert, non-toxic, capable of being applied in liquid form to completely fill the voids and to solidify and retain continuous adherent engagement with the surfaces with which it is in contact so as to act in tension and in compression, and which will not be adversely affected by temperature changes after being put in place. For this purpose a suitable material is bitumen, and preferably asphalt which is solid at normal atmospheric temperatures, say of the order of 90 F. and cooler, and which can be heated so as to be fluent for application in the spaces 37.

In the installation of the wall construction in accordance with the invention, the interior face of the wall 10 has the channels 11 secured thereto by the fasteners 12 through the webs 13 and shims 14. The shims 14 may be utilized to smooth out irregularities of the wall 10 but it is preferred that the wall 10 be relatively flat, plumb and free from irregularities so as to provide a good base.

The boards are next secured in place on the channels 11 by inserting the clips 20 in the channels with the side edge notches 24 gripping the channel rims 17 and with the fingers 26 engaged in the grooves to hold the boards 30 with their faces 32 in firm engagement with the rim faces 18. The edge faces 33 are in meeting relation.

The filling material in fluent condition is poured into the space 37 so that it fills that space without voids, engages the wall 10, engages the inner faces 32 .of the boards 30, engages the outsides of the channels 11 and encloses the shims 14, and solidifies in place and in adherent engagement.

The adherent filling material 38 locks the boards 30 along their lengths against movement toward or away from the wall 10, and stabilizes the shims 14 and the channels 11, and eliminates the span effect of the initial mounting of the boards 30 and which span effect would contribute to uneven impact response and to permit moist air to have access to the inner faces of the boards which would induce warpage.

The boards 30, as thus held, provide over their faces 31 upon impact with a ball such as a squash ball totally uniform bounce of the ball. The bounce will also be quiet and vibrationless so that the noise level is reduced. In a particular embodiment the thickness attributable to the shims 14, channels 11 and boards 30 will be of the order of one and one quarter inch.

The wall construction as described above is waterproof along the wall 10, thereby eliminating deformation of the boards 30 and provides thermal insulation so that condensation is reduced at lowered temperatures. For tournament squash, played at a temperature of 40 F., the Wall construction will be very effective but higher or lower temperatures will not adversely affect the construction.

I claim:

1. A wall construction for playing courts comprising a vertical support having a continuous surface,

spaced parallel supporting members,

members for fixedly securing said supporting members to said vertical support,

means providing an exposed non-yielding impact receiving playing surface,

members for holding said playing surface means in intersecting relation to said supporting members and in fixed engagement with said supporting members, and

said vertical support and said playing surface means having a space therebetween,

said space being filled with a compression, tension, and

moisture resisting fill in simultaneous and continuous engagement with said surface of said vertical support and in continuous and adherent supporting engagement with said playing surface means between said supporting members.

2. A wall construction as defined in claim 1 in which said playing surface means comprises spaced parallel wooden boards having outer exposed faces providing said playing surface.

3. A wall construction as defined in claim 2 in which said fill comprises bituminous material.

4. A wall construction as defined in claim 2 in which spacer members are interposed between said supporting members and said vertical support.

5. A wall construction as defined in claim 2 in which said supporting members are channels, and

said members for holding said playing surface means are clips engaged with said boards and said channels.

6. A wall construction as defined in claim 2 in which said supporting members are channels,

spacer members are interposed between said channels and said vertical support, and

said fill is in engagement with said spaced members.

7. A wall construction as defined in claim 2 in which said supporting members are channels,

said boards have side edges,

said members for holding said playing surface means are clips which engage said channels and at least one of said side edges, and

said fill comprises bituminous material and is in simultaneous and continuous engagement with said vertical support, the inner faces of said boards and said channels.

8. A wall construction as defined in claim 2 in which said supporting members are channels,

said boards have at least one side edge groove,

said members for holding said playing surface means are clips which engage said side edge grooves and said channels, and

said fill comprises bituminous material and is in simultaneous and continuous engagement with said vertical support, the inner faces of said boards and said channels.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,383,344 7/1921 Shaw 52-144 1,778,412 10/1930 Balduf 52402 2,227,228 12/1940 Payne 52-744 3,031,725 5/1962 Omholt 52-480 X 3,086,325 4/1963 Eckel 52l44 HENRY C. SUTHERLAND, Primary Examiner.

ALFRED C. PERHAM, Assistant Examiner.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE PATENT OFFICE Washington, 0.0. 20231 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,405,493 October 15, 1968 Ray E. Omholt It is certified that error appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 1, line 57, "preset" should read present Column 4, line 35, "spaced" should read spacer Signed and sealed this 24th day of February 1970.

(SEAL) Attest:

WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR.

Edward M. Fletcher, Jr.

Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

